Play Date Gone Very, Very Wrong
by Depthsofthemind
Summary: In COG Jocelyn mentioned that She used to take Johnathan over to Maryse's to play with Alec. Here is how I think one of those playdates could have gone. Also explores what Johnathan Morgenstern may have been like as a baby, and Jocelyn's fear and grief over... you know. Uninterested in that, read it for Celine being a cinnamon roll. Rated T


Play Date Gone Very, Very Wrong

 **Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare and do not own any of these characters or places. So this is my first ever fanfic and I am honestly new to writing anything not-a-school-paper in General. So in your reviews (and please review) if you could tell me what you liked and what you did not like I could really use the input. Also feel free to include ideas on what I could try writing next. I am very interested in Circle stories, but I will write anything except Lemons (for now) and Clace. I honestly find Clace extremely difficult to relate to, and a bit too much at times.**

Jocelyn Morgenstern sat at the table inside lightwood Manor, focusing hard on her cup of tea, as if it had the power to make her life normal. Beside her Maryse Lightwood and Celine Herondale were peacefully exchanging small talk. It was time once again for one of the bi-annual play dates Maryse would arrange for her little Alec and Jocelyn's…. child: Jonathan Christopher. Jocelyn mentally cried out. Getting to take time off from tracking demons through the sludge's and slimes of the world, so that she could spend the day with her son and her friends was supposed to feel like one of the greatest joy's and reliefs of her life. But since the beginning these visits had always made her strangely wary; and ever since learning about Johnathan's… "Condition" …well fighting a horde of hydra demons on Monday was by far less anxiety inducing than play groups on weekends. At the present both Alec and Jonathan were in the next room, sitting in the playpen, surrounded by teddy bears, so that the women could have a cup of tea and a few minutes for just themselves. Maryse and Celine used this time to play Q&A on the wonders of being a mommy (Celine was just into her second trimester and at the stage where she furiously tried to learn everything about motherhood before the baby was born, so when he was she could be perfect for him). Jocelyn used this time to attempt to calm her nerves.

"Attention My Lady Jocelyn!" came a loud shout not far from her ear. Jocelyn's head jerked up and she was staring into the fierce, determined, and at the moment somewhat exasperated eyes of Maryse Lightwood. "Celine asked a question, and we have asked you for your input three times now". Maryse voice changed tone a bit, as all the circle members had taken to doing with Jocelyn ever since becoming His Lord Valentine's wife. "Are you feeling okay?" Maryse asked softly.

"Oh yes, Fine" Jocelyn lied smoothly. "I just spaced out, that's all. Jonathan was crying all night last night, and I was up with him"; another lie. Both women gave her small smiles and nodded.

"Well, anyway I was asking how you picked out your sons names." Celine chimed in "I have been trying for days to come up with the perfect name for my son and Stephen is no help. Maryse said that she and Robert chose historic Lightwood family names for Alec. I was wondering how you decided on Johnathan Christopher Morgenstern?"

"Oh" Jocelyn replied. "Well Johnathan because he was our, our first, and Johnathan Shadowhunter, of course, was the first of our kind. Christopher because…" she stopped. That was just some twist that Valentine told her when he said he wanted the name Johnathan. Really he had picked it out because had planned for Johnathan to be the first in a new breed. Only while the first Johnathan had been changed by Angel blood so that he could perform a noble role and protect mundane people from what they could not protect themselves, Valentine had poisoned Johnathan with vile demon blood so he would what: never have to care who got hurt or why when he fought? Think only of defeating his opponents; just like his father. Jocelyn could not tell the truth and the lie tasted like ash in her throat.

"You know what Celine? There are so many amazing places babies can come from. What I suggest you do is make a list of all the boy names you and Stephen love. Then when you hold your son for the first time, read the names off and pick the two that seem suit him the best." For further emphases Jocelyn added "Sometimes I have no idea what to call a painting until I stand back and look at the finished peace."

"Thank you so much. That is wonderful advice" Celine explained "I'll talk to Stephen and get started right after dinner" Celine answered. "You know I thought for sure I was having a girl. I mean I kept craving sweet foods and everyone said that meant I was carrying a girl. But turns out he is a boy. I think it is a good sign; him liking sweet foods. I think it means he will be a little sweaty himself."

"I am sure he will be Celine" Maryse told Celine. "Just remember one very important thing about when he is born." The fierce, determination that Maryse always seemed to radiate intensified and her voice edged a bit. "Once your son is born you must waste no time in making sure everybody knows that you are his mother and you are first and foremost in charge of his care. When Alec was born Robert and I thought up the brilliant idea to let my mother live with us, to help us with Alec until we adjusted to being parents. That turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life! She completely took over and would not leave anything for us to do. Why, I had nightmares about Alec growing up thinking she was his mother, and I was only his sister!" Maryse took a few breaths and opened her mouth to continue her rant when suddenly a plaintive, very upset cry came loudly from the next room.

All three of the rushed in with shadowhunter speed. Jocelyn knew the crying had to be Alec. Johnathan never cried. She prayed to the angel that he was just hungry, or needed to be changed, or wanted to know where Maryse was. But she had a sickening feeling that it was none of the above. Sometimes little kids could sense things about people that were undetectable to the average adult. Maryse swooped Alec up and to Jocelyn's short relief Alec was not bleeding and did not seem to have any broken bones as she had feared. Jocelyn looked down at Johnathan. He was holding on tiny beanie-baby bear by its neck and his face had a narrowed expression. Ignoring the fear and revulsion, that she now knew was unfortunately not just post-partum disorder, she picked Johnathan out of the play pen and help onto him. Maryse was rocking Alec asking him over and over, into her most soothing tone, what was wrong, and could he please stop crying. But Alec did not even drop one octave in his wailing.

"What is going on in there" a voice thundered from the halls. Robert, Alec's father and Maryse's husband stepped into the doorway. "I thought you were having mommy and me day, this sounds like torture day" He exclaimed.

"Something made Alec start crying. And really Robert" Maryse snapped annoyed "can you keep your voice down? One screaming young man is enough thank you."

"Here let me try" said Robert as he crossed the room and took their son from Maryse. Robert started to bounce Alec in his hands as he walked around the room. When this did absolutely nothing to quell Alec's fit he turned back to his wife. "He has had a fever for the last three days. Are you sure that it is gone now?"

"Maybe Johnathan and I should go" Jocelyn suggested, sensing a possible exit route. "If Alec is sick I would hate for Johnathan to catch it."

"No. When I went to take Alec out of the crib this morning I checked him and his temperature was completely normal" Maryse reported. "You are almost never fussy baby, what's got you this upset?"

Celine suddenly came up right next to Jocelyn. "Can you help them" she asked "I can hold Johnathan for you." Jocelyn opened her mouth to say no thank you but too late, Celine was already reaching to take Johnathan. As soon as Johnathan was brought to Celine's Torso she let out a gasp. "I think I need to sit down" she said, her voice strained, as she handed Johnathan back to Jocelyn and then flopped into a close by arm chair. Celine stared down at her stomach and started to rub gentle movements on it as if trying to calm her fetus out of a fit similar to Alec's.

Jocelyn turned from Celine whispering to her unborn son about how once he was born he could go as crazy as he wanted, but needed to wait until then; to Maryse and Robert both huddled over Alec trying a variety of calming tactics that were not working; to Johnathan who sat in her arms staring at the chaos before him in silent fascination. She felt completely sick. Jocelyn muttered a good bye as well as an excuse that she did not really hear herself, and then walked as fast as she could to the door. As soon as she was outside she ran and hid behind a thick oak tree. She had not gone far from the house, but she suddenly did not hear crying. After a few minutes Jocelyn heard the front door open.

"Jocelyn" Maryse called "You can come back inside. Whatever it was that had Alec so upset he's stopped crying and is fine now." Maryse turned her head slowly from left to right but Jocelyn appeared to already be gone. "Wow" She thought "I wish I could run that fast on my off days".

After Jocelyn heard the Maryse shut the door she snuck around to a corner of the house and drew an eavesdropping rune on her hand. With her hand pressed to the door she could hear what was going on inside clearly. Robert and Celine were arguing. More specifically Robert was trying to get Celine to tell him the name of whatever silent brother and/or midwife was overseeing her pregnancy so they could send a letter to them in case of trouble. Celine however kept insisting that she did not need it. That baby Herondale had calmed down as suddenly as he had started up and now she felt just great. Celine thought that her son was just developing a workout routine a little early. She was willing to bet that he would go on to be the one of the most coordinated of his age group.

Jocelyn started home feeling her insides sink lower than she ever thought they could. What she had heard after exiting Lightwood manor had pushed away any trace of doubt that the reason Alec and Baby Herondale had reacted like that was from being exposed to the demon part of Johnathan. Checking to make sure no one else was taking a little stroll through the country she looked turned down to the creature in her arms. And the questions poured out: "what did you do to Alec and the Herondale baby? How did you manage to terrorize an unborn infant in the seconds Celine was holding you? You must never do anything like that again, do you understand me? You need friends, need them." Johnathan was one third human (lithe had never been human, and, after learning what he had done, Jocelyn could not consider Valentine a human). Could that one third of him be enough for him to understand things like friendship, love, and kindness? Or was being two thirds monster too much for Johnathan to ever have a place in humanity. As some type of response to Jocelyn's questions maybe, Johnathan smacked her arm, squishing a mosquito that had landed on it. Then he held his hand up and stared at the broken, mutilated carcass on his palm. Johnathan let out a loud laugh and then licked his hand swallowing the slain bug's body.

Jocelyn did not slow her run until he was back at Fairchild Manor.


End file.
